Pump for flange lubricators



March 25, 1930. E, C. HOWERTON ET AL 1,751,636

PUMP FOR FLANGE LUBRICATORS Filed April 7, 192s atorneq Patented Mar. 25? 1930 ritrae EMERY C. I-IOWERTON AND ANDREW BERGLN, F DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THRD TO GEORGE C. CALLAHAN, OF DENVER, COLOR-ADO PUMP FOR FLANGE LUBRICATORS l Original application filed September 26, 1927, Serial No. 221,922. Divided and this application filed April 1e time to time and in passing around curves the pressure between the flanges and the rails often becomes very high. If the fianges are not lubricated, they will wear very fast and besides this the great amount of friction between the unlubricated flange and the rail has a tendency to make the wheels climb the rail and to thereby cause wrecks.

It is the object of this invention to produce a lubricating device that shall be so constructed that it is positive in its action and which will operate to lubricate the flanges whenever the locomotive is operating and which will cease functioning whenever the locomotive stops.

It is the object of this invention to produce a pump for use in a pressure lubricating system of the type referred to above, and which shall be so constructed that it can be operated from the link mechanism of the locomotive valve gear.

It is a further object of this invention to produce a pump mechanism of a simple and substantial construction that can be cheaply manufactured and which will be positive in i: its operation and which will not readily become dearranged.

The above and other objects that may become apparent as this description proceeds arel attained by means of a construction and arrangement of parts that will be described in detail. and reference for this purpose will now be had to the accompanying drawing in which the preferred embodiment has been i' illustrated and in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing one of the drive wheels of the locomotive and a Vpart of the frame work and showing also the improved lubricator in place thereon;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2 2,

Fig. 1;

Serial No. 268,220.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3 3, Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4 4, Fig. 2;

In the drawing numeral 1 represents a drivewheel of a locomotive and numeral 2 one of the frame members to which the crosshead guides 3 are connected. Numeral 4 represents another part of the locomotive frame, while numeral 5 represents one of the links forming part of the valve gear of the engine. This link is rocked whenever the engine operates and this in turn causes the shaft 6 to oscillate about its axis. Secured to the end of shaft 6 is a crank arm 7 to which reference will be made hereinafter. Each wheel is provided with a flange 8 that engages the side of the rails for the purpose of keeping the locomotive on the track in a manner well understood. In going around curves there is usually a great pressure between the iiange and the side of the rail which is objectionable for reasons alreadyT given. It has been found that it is necessary for the best operation of the engine to lubricate the flanges as this will reduce the wear and also eliminate the danger of the wheel climbing the rail so as to derail the locomotive.

For the purpose of positively lubricating vthe flanges whenever the engine is running,

a very simple mechanism has been provided, which will now be described.

This mechanism consists of a container 9 which is supported on the horizontal arm 10 of a bracket, whose vertical arm 11 is secured to the stationary frame member 2. The construction of this container and the mechanism connectedtherewith has been illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 from which it will be seen that the container is a rectangular cast-iron box provided at each corner with a lug 12, which is perforated for the reception of a bolt by means of which it is secured to the horizontal arm l0. A cover 13 is provided on one side with lugs 14 that cooperate with lugs 15 on the casing to form a hinge. These lugs are connected by means of hinge pins 16 in the manner shown in Fig. 4. The other side of the cover is provided with a lug 17 and directly beneath this are two lugs 18, between which is pivoted a loop 19, which Y isadapted to receive the end of the lug 17` f packing box7 whose plug member has beenv indicated byfreference numeral `24. The

outer end' of the shaft 21 has secured to it' an upwardly extending arm 25 that is pro-A v vided with a numberv of openings 26.'V A conV- nectingrod 27 extends between the arm 7 and arm 25` in the manner shown in Fig. l, so that whenever the shaft 6 is oscillated, this motionl will beY conducted by means of the connecting rod to the shaft 21'. The extent of the oscillation of shaft21 can be regulated to some extent by connecting the ends of the connecting rod 27 at different distances from the center of rotation of the shaft 6 and shaft 21. From the above description it, will VbeA apL parent that shaft 21 will only oscillate wheneverthe locomotive is moving.

For the purpose of utilizing this oscillatory motion of shaft 21 for feeding lubricant,v shaft 21 is previded with a' crank arm 28'to the outer endlof which a shorty connecting :Y rod 29 is pivotally connected,

The 'other'end of this connectingrod is located between the' 'elldsBO'A of two parallel.spaced-'plungers 3l,

and is pivotally connected with this by means ofa pivot pin 32.' The bottom of the casing is provided with a solid block 33, which has been shown as formed integral withthe cas-v ing, but which may be made of Va Vseparate piece, if desired. rlhisV block is provided with two parallelcylindrical openings 34.V L Plugs 35 are inserted into the ends of these openings in the manner shown in Fig. 3. rjihe inner ends of plugs 35' are provided with axial openings 36` for the reception of the pistons 37 which arev formed by a reduced section' of thev plungersl. Holes 38 extend downwardly through the block 33 and inter-A sect the openings 36. A transverse opening 39 connects the two vertical'openingvsi A38 in the manner shown quite clearlyin Figsr2 i andY 4. By the construction shown opening 34 may be. made of the Sam@ diai'neteiq throughout which make it possibi@ to dun it from the outside inwardly, thereby reduc Y solid block.

ing the expense and labor. over what would be required if the two openings, 34 an'd36, of diifere'nt diameters were to be formed in a l The use of removable plugs 35 for closing the outer ends of openings' 344 and providing the inner ends of these plugs with axial cylindrical openings with vivtzhic'h the pistons or plungers 37 cooperate 'makes'V it possible to replace the plugs` when the sides of openings 36 become worn and also makes it possible to vary the capacity by merely making the opening 36'and plunger 37 of different diameters.

Y At the bottom of the cylindrical openings 36, vertical openings r40- are provided.

VThese connect with horizontal openings 4I to the outer ends'of which tubes 42 are connected in the manner shown in Figures 2 and4. The vertical openings 40 are of two diameters,- the upper section of each'b'e'ing larger than the lower section whereby a shoulder is formed which functions as a seat for theY ball 43. Screws 44'close'the'upper ends of the openings 40 and hold 'the balls in their places. I 43 act as check valves which permitgthe'lu-V bricant to flow from the cylinder 26 into Vthe tubes 42, but prevent How in the opposite direction.V Nhen shaft 214 *..is oscillated plungers 30 will be reciprocated and with the cylinders 36' form a pump'. `When the parts are in the position shown in Fig.4 3, theV lubricant may flow into cylinders'36 Vand when the pistons are moved towards the left, this lubricant l will be forced upwardly through the openings 40 into 'the horizontal openings 41'and will pass from thenceintoAv the tubes 42'. Thelength ofthe stroke'of It 'is apparent that` the Vballs Y the pistons is determined by the positionV of y the ends of :the connecting 'rod 27 with re,- spect to the arms 7 and 25 in they manner above intimated. Tubes 42 extend from the casing 9i to a place adjacent to where the .lubricant is to'vbe applied to the wheels* In the drawing I' have shown' twoplung'ers and twoA separate tubes 42, but there may bea's many of these asl may be desired.` The ends of these tubeslare connected by means of flexibler tubingl 46 which extends to an apf-V plicator which will not describedin detail. v I The iiexible tubes 46 are connected to the l upper-end of pipe 47. A rubber tube 48 is telescopically connected 'with'the' lower end ofi pipe' 47 and, the end of this 'tube as well Vas the end of pipe 47 has been cut diagonally so that a surface is producedr which will fit against the4 surface of iiange 8?, as'the' Yend of tube 48y can be moved' downwardly it will therefore serve its purpose' until itis almost entirely used up, A check valve 49'is pro- Y vided in tribes adjacent the place Vwhere iso consist merely of a pipe that can be applied at any time. ln the construction shown the opening 50 is cored when the casing is cast and pipes 51 and 52 are secured to opposite ends of this opening. Pipe 51 may be connected with the steam dome of the locomotive boiler or to any pipe containing live steam so that there will be a constant liow of steam through the opening 50. The steam flowing through opening 50 will produce sufficient heat to keep the oil in a flowable condition during the coldest weather. lilith the parts as. embled in the manner above described, we will now consider the operation of the saine.

Let us assume that the casing 9 is filled with a lubricating oil and that the engine is in operation. During the operation of the engine shaft 6 will oscillate.l thereby oscillating shaft 21 so as to reciprocate the plungers. The reciprocation ot' the plungers in the cylindrical openin 35 produces a pump action that forces the lubricant through the pipe 42, through the flexible tubes 46 and through the pivoted pipe 47 of the applicator. This lubricant emerges from the lower end of pipe 47 and is deposited directly onto flange 8. The nonmetallic tube 48 serves to spread the lubricant evenly over the flange surface and also to produce a tight connection between the flange and thereby prevent the lubricantfrom flowing during those times when the engine is standing still. The check valve 49 assists the action of the ball 48 in the pump so as to make the operation of the pump more positive. lt is possible to dispense with the check valves 49 under certain circumstances, but when they are used, they assist in preventing` the oil from flowing when the engine remains stationary.

llt has been intimated above that as many plungers can be employed may be desired and therefore the illustration, where only two plungers have been shown,'should not be considered as in any way limiting this invention to this number.

From the above it vill be apparent that a flange lubricator has been produced that is positive in its operation and which will deliver the lubricant to the flanges at the most suitable place. Since this lubricator has a positive feed, it can be absolutely relied upon to furnish the lubricant in the desired quantities regardless of the atmospheric conditions. Since the operation of this lubricator is dependent upon the operation of the valve link mechanism of the engine, it is apparent that there will be no flow of lubricant when the engine is stationary and that whenever the engine is running, the parts will receive the necessary amount of lubrication.

The check valve 49, as above intimated, serves to prevent siphoning of oil from the container. The nonmetallic tube 4S is supposed to tit closely against the flange, but

it sometimes happens that oil will start leaking between the end of tube 48 and the flange and in the absence of the check valve 49, there will be a tendency to siphon the oil from vthe container. The check valves 49 are merely simple ball check valves of the ordinary type and the weight of the ball is sufficient to prevent the siphoning above referred to.

This application is a division of our copending application Serial Number 221,922, filed September 26, 1927.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. A lubricant pump for pressure lubrication, comprising, in combination, a casing adapted to contain oil, a cylinder block formed integral with the bottom and one end of the casing, said block having a cylindrical opening extending the entire length of the block, said block having also a second opening paralled with and spaced from the first mentioned opening, said second opening extending only partly through the block, the second opening lying above the first mentioned opening, said block having a passage connecting the inner end of the second Opeliing with the first mentioned opening, a check valve in said passage, a plug located in the outer end of the opening and extending inwardly beyond the passage containing the check valve, the inner end of said plug having an axial opening and a lateral openingconnecting the opening in the plug with the passage containing the check valve, a piston located in the inner end of the first mentioned opening, the end of the piston having a plunger of smaller diameter which extends into the opening in the plug, said plug and block having a passage communicating with the interior of the casing, a shaft extending transversely of the casing and journalled in the sides of the casing, a crank arm carried by the shaft, and a connecting rod for connecting the plunger with the crank whereby the plunger will be reciprocated when the shaft is oscillated.

2. A lubricant pump for pressure lubrication comprising, in combination, a casing adapted to contain a lubricant, a cylinder block terminating within the casing and formed integral therewith, said block having a plurality of openings extending entirely through it from the outside of the casing to the inner end thereof, a plug extending inwardly into each opening, the inner end of each plug having an axial opening in its inner end, the block having also a plurality of openings extending inwardly from the outer end thereof, said openings lying directly above the first mentioned openings and spaced from the latter, a passageway connecting each of the last mentioned openings with the opening in the plug located in the corresponding first mentioned opening, a check valve in each of said passageways, said block having an unobstructed paSSevg'jrinifayv from the inner end of the opening in each plug to the interior of the easingya piston mounted or reciproeation in each of the first mentioned openings, each piston having its end provided With a plunger adapted so fit the opening in the corresponding plug, a shaft extending u iwinsverse ly of the casing and journalled in the sides of the easing, a ycrank arm secured to theshaft, and a connecting rod having one end pivotally onnected With the inner ends of the pistns and Jthe othei end connected Wtl1`-the crank arrnfwhereby when he shaft Sfosoillated the pistonsy will be reciprooated, the eX- tent of said reciprocasionsv being less than the leng'tli of the openings inthe plugs.

In testrnony We aiix oui' signatures. EMERY C. HUWERTON. ANDREW BERGLN. 

